Ipswich school reports ’30-year-old pupil’ to Home Office

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Parents have alleged a pupil attending Stoke High School is an adult possibly aged in his 30s

A secondary school pupil is being investigated after parents and classmates claimed he was as old as 30.

It is thought he is an asylum seeker who joined Stoke High School, Ipswich, as a new pupil at the start of term.

The school said it had contacted the Home Office in relation to the concerns but it was not prepared to comment further.

Another pupil shared an image on social media with the message: “How’s there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?”

The Home Office has said it does not routinely comment on individual cases.

In a statement the school said: “This is a matter for the Home Office. They are looking into this after we contacted them.

“We do not comment on individual cases but we have followed government and local authority policies and guidance, as we do for any asylum admissions matter.”

‘Old for their age’

The government’s criteria for granting asylum to refugees are if they have left their home country and are unable to go back because they fear persecution and their home state is unable to guarantee their safety.

Lewis Forte, whose step-daughter is a pupil at Stoke High School, said he had been totally dissatisfied with the school’s response.

He said: “I went to the school to raise concerns about it and the teacher tried to shut me down by saying all his documents were present and correct which they probably were.”

Mr Forte said he believed the pupil in question had been at the school since the start of the term.

He added: “If he is a child then I am very sorry but I had a few children in my class who looked old for their age but this is something else.”

Another parent warned others on social media, “I suggest if anyone’s children are in the same classes as this guy then keep them off school until this has been investigated”.